Clutch
THIS ARTICLE IS CURRENTLY BEING RESEARCHED AND REFINED. PLEASE BE PATIENT WHILST THE EDITS ARE ONGOING Clutch is an American rock band based out of Frederick, Maryland, originating in Germantown, Maryland. They met while in high school in Germantown and consider themselves a Frederick based band where they write/rehearse for every album/tour.56 The band formed in 1991. Since its formation the band line-up has included Neil Fallon (vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards), Tim Sult (lead guitar, backing vocals), Dan Maines (bass, backing vocals) and Jean-Paul Gaster (drums and percussion). To date, Clutch has released ten studio albums, and several rarities and live albums. They are now signed by their own record label, Weathermaker.1 History Early years: 1991–1999 Clutch (originally called "Glut Trip" and stemmed from "Moral Minority") was formed in 19917 by Dan Maines (bass), Jean-Paul Gaster (drums), Tim Sult (guitar), and Roger Smalls (vocals) in Germantown, MD. Smalls soon departed and was replaced by Neil Fallon, a longtime schoolmate of the other members at Seneca Valley High School. The band quickly gained notice through constant touring. The 12" single "Passive Restraints" on the Earache label was the band's first commercial release, garnering attention from other labels. Their debut LP, Transnational Speedway League, was released in 1993. It was followed by a self-titled album two years later that gained Clutch mainstream exposure. The band moved to the larger Columbia label for the 1998 album The Elephant Riders.1 They followed it in 1999 with a self-released groove-based album Jam Room. Clutch 01.jpg|Neil Fallon|link=https://www.facebook.com/Clutchband|linktext=Clutch Facebook Clutch 02.jpg|Tim Sult|link=https://www.facebook.com/Clutchband|linktext=Clutch Facebook Clutch 03.jpg|JP Gastor|link=https://www.facebook.com/Clutchband|linktext=Clutch Facebook Clutch 04.jpg|Dan Maines and JP Gastor|link=https://www.facebook.com/Clutchband|linktext=Clutch Facebook Clutch 05.jpg|Neil, Tim, and JP|link=https://www.facebook.com/Clutchband|linktext=Clutch Facebook Clutch 06.jpg|Clutch Band|link=https://www.facebook.com/Clutchband|linktext=Clutch Facebook Clutch 07.jpg|Clutch|link=https://www.facebook.com/Clutchband|linktext=Clutch Facebook Clutch 08.jpg|Clutch Band Promo|link=https://www.facebook.com/Clutchband|linktext=Clutch Facebook Clutch 09.jpg|Clutch Live|link=https://www.facebook.com/Clutchband|linktext=Clutch Facebook Clutch 10.jpg|Clutch Band|link=https://www.facebook.com/Clutchband|linktext=Clutch Facebook Chart success: 2000–2007 The album Pure Rock Fury was released by Atlantic in 2001. The title track was initially released as the first single. The program director for North Carolina rock station, WXQR (Rock 105), Brian Rickman, suggested that the label switch singles to another track from the album, "Careful with that Mic." Atlantic did so, and Clutch achieved a surprise hit single. The follow-up tracks, "Immortal" and "Open Up the Border," were also well received by American rock stations. In 2003 they issued Live at the Googolplex and the rarities record Slow Hole to China. The album Blast Tyrant was released in 2004, their first for DRT Records. The band once again enjoyed more rock radio airplay and heavy rotation on the Music Choice cable service thanks to the single "The Mob Goes Wild." Its accompanying video was directed by Bam Margera, and featured Margera's Viva La Bam co-stars; Ryan Dunn, Brandon DiCamillo, and Don Vito. The video was filmed at Rex's in West Chester, PA.8 The 2005 release Pitchfork & Lost Needles combined Clutch's 1991 Pitchfork 7-inch release with previously unreleased demos and early tracks. In 2005 the band saw their first lineup change since the early 1990s with the addition of organist Mick Schauer, who performed on the albums Robot Hive/Exodus (2005) and From Beale Street to Oblivion (2007). The latter album was produced by Joe Barresi who has also produced for Kyuss, Melvins, Queens of the Stone Age, and Tool. Recent years: 2008–present The band's first live DVD, Full Fathom Five, and accompanying CD, produced/directed by Agent Ogden, were released in September 2008. The band also released a remastered version of Slow Hole to China: Rare and Unreleased on April 28, 2009. The band's ninth studio album Strange Cousins from the West, was released on July 14, 2009. Songs from the album were played live on tour prior to the album's recording. A 2-disc DVD set Clutch Live at the 9:30 was released on May 11, 2010 by the band's own label, Weathermaker Music. The set includes the entire December 28, 2009 show at Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 club, in which the band performed its entire 1995 self-titled LP. On May 10, 2011, Clutch reissued their 2004 album Blast Tyrant on Weathermaker Music. The new edition contained a bonus album known as Basket of Eggs that includes unreleased songs as well as acoustic versions of previous hits.910 In its first week of release Blast Tyrant sold close to 3,000 copies nationally, landing it at No. 26 on the Billboard Hard Rock Top 100, more than seven years after the original version debuted at No. 15. On June 10, 2012, the band released a new single, "Pigtown Blues", on iTunes, backed with an acoustic version of "Motherless Child" (from Strange Cousins from the West). On October 16, 2012, Clutch announced that their tenth album will be called Earth Rocker. The album was released on March 16, 2013 and entered the Billboard Top 200 chart at #15 giving the band their highest chart position to date. It would remain on the chart for a total of 5 weeks. The album also reached #4 on iTunes' overall Top 100 album charts and was #1 in their rock chart. Earthrocker got 'album of the year' 2013 by Metalhammer magazine (UK), and was rated highly on a lot of rock/metal magazines and websites end of the year top 10's. On September 12, 2013, Clutch announced that they were postponing their September tour (except for a hometown show in Baltimore, MD at the Shindig Festival), due to health issues with singer Neil Fallon. Fallon released a statement through the band's Facebook page that said, "Dear friends, this week I've learned that a childhood injury to the neck, a genetic predisposition for spinal disease, and 20 some years of head banging will exact a toll. I've been diagnosed with an ugly case of cervical spinal stenosis and two herniated discs." Fallon was set to have surgery on September 17, 2013 and the band resumed their tour sometime in October. In interviews throughout their 2014 European tour the band's members were candid about their intention to release a new album quickly in the wake of the success of Earth Rocker. During an interview at DesertFest Berlin in late April11 Neil Fallon said, "We're looking to do another record in November... my focus now is the next Clutch record, and everyone else in the band for that matter too focused on the next Clutch record." Other projects In the late 1990s, Clutch and its sibling project The Bakerton Group (an instrumental jam band composed of all four Clutch members) formed an independent record label, River Road Records, to release their own music. River Road does not sign any other artists. The Bakerton Group has released one three-track EP titled Space Guitars and two full-length albums titled The Bakerton Group and El Rojo respectively. Clutch/Bakerton Group now runs its own independent record label for its own releases, Weathermaker Music. Clutch members also feature in several other musical projects. Drummer Jean-Paul Gaster made an appearance on the album The Mystery Spot by blues-rock band Five Horse Johnson. The album was released on May 23, 2006 via Small Stone Records.12 In 2007, Gaster collaborated with Opeth keyboardist Per Wiberg and Kamchatka guitarist Thomas Andersson in a band called King Hobo, which has thus far released one album.13 Gaster also appears on the album Punctuated Equilibrium by Scott "Wino" Weinrich, released via Southern Lord Records in 2009. Guitarist Tim Sult also plays in reggae rock band Lionize. Neil Fallon has provided guest vocals on the songs "Joey" on Shameless by Therapy?; "Two Coins for Eyes" and "Empire's End" on the 2008 album Beyond Colossal by Swedish stoner rock band Dozer; "Crazy Horses" (a cover of a song by The Osmonds) by Throat; "Slippin' Out" by Never Got Caught; "Mummies Wrapped in Money" by Lionize; "Fearless Force" for early New York Hardcore band The Mob; "Blood and Thunder" by Mastodon on their 2004 album Leviathan; "New Trip" on Seed Of Decade by Sixty Watt Shaman; "Transistors Of Mercy" by Polkadot Cadaver; "Ayatollah of Rock ‘n’ Rolla" on Savages by Soulfly; "Everything Is Not Going To Be OK" by Black Clouds and "Clear Light Of..." by Hark. Fallon is also the singer for The Company Band. Personnel Current Members *'Neil Fallon' – Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards, Harmonica, Percussion (1991 - Present) *'Tim Suit' - Guitar (1991 - Present) *'Dan Maines' - Bass (1991 - Present) *'Jean-Paul Gaster' - Drums, Percussion (1991 - Present) Former members *'Roger Smalls' - Vocals (1991) *'Mick Schauer' - Keyboards (2005–2008) (Died 2019) Discography Studio Albums *'Transnational Speedway League' (1993, EastWest Records America) *'Clutch' (1995, EastWest Records America) *'The Elephant Riders' (1998, Colombia) *'Jam Room' (1999, River Road) *'Pure Rock Fury' (2001, Atlantic) *'Blast Tyrant' (2004, DRT Entertainment) *'Robot Hive/Exodus' (2005, DRT Entertainment) *'From Beale Street to Oblivion' (2007, DRT Entertainment) *'Strange Cousins from the West' (2009, Weathermaker) *'Earth Rocker' (2013, Weathermaker) *'Psychic Warfare' (2015, Weathermaker) *'Book of Bad Decisions' (2018, Weathermaker) Extended Plays *'Pitchfork' (1991, Inner Journey) *'Passive Restraints' (1992, Earache; Relativity) *'Songs Of Much Gravity' (1995, EastWest Records America) *'Big News' (1995, Atlantic) *'Impetus' (1997, Earache) *'Wishbone Mini EP' (1998, Columbia) *'Careful With That E.P.' (2001, Atlantic) *'Pigtown Blues' (2012, Weathermaker) *'Mad Sidewinder / Outland Special Clearance' (2016, Weathermaker) Singles *'A Shogun Named Marcus' (1993, EastWest Records America) *'A Promo Named Marcus' (1993, EastWest Records America) *'El Jefe Speaks & Binge And Purge' (1993, EastWest Records America) *'12 Ounce Epilogue' (1993, EastWest Records America) *'Escape From The Prison Planet' (1995, EastWest Records America; 1996, Atlantic) *'Tight Like That' (1995, Atlantic) *'Spacegrass' (1995, Atlantic) *'The Soapmakers' (1998, Colombia) *'The Elephant Riders' (1998, Colombia) *'Pure Rock Fury' (2001, Atlantic) *'Immortal' (2001, Atlantic) *'Careful With That Mic' (2001, Atlantic) *'The Mob Goes Wild' (2004, DRT Entertainment) *'10001' (2005, DRT Entertainment) *'Mice And Gods' (2005, DRT Entertainment) *'Burning Beard' (2006, DRT Entertainment) *'Electric Worry' (2007, DRT Entertainment) *'King Of Arizona' (2009, Weathermaker) *'50,000 Unstoppable Watts' (2009, Weathermaker) *'Crucial Velocity' (2013, Weathermaker) *'In Walks Barbarella & Hot Bottom Feeder' (2018, Weathermaker) *'How To Shake Hands / Gimme The Keys' (2018, Weathermaker) Splits *'Pull Me Under (Live) / A Shogun Named Marcus' (With Dream Theater) (1993, Rock Ahead) *'For Love Not Lisa / Clutch' (With For Love Not Lisa) (1993, EastWest Records America) *'Perfect Together' (With Tad) (1995, EastWest Records America) *'Split Promo' (With Ultraspank) (1998, Epic) *'(veri.live Issue 13)' (With The Drones) (2013, veri.live) *'Run, John Barleycorn, Run / Ether Madness' (With Lionize) (2014, Weathermaker) Live Albums *'Live At The Googolplex' (2002, Megaforce) *'Live in Flint, Michigan' (2004, River Road) *'Heard It All Before: Live at the HiFi Bar' (2007, New Found Frequency) *'Live at the Corner Hotel' (2008, New Found Frequency) *'Full Fathom Five Audio Field Recordings 2007-2008' (2008, Weathermaker) *'Full Fathom Five Video Field Recordings 2007-2008' (2008, Weathermaker) *'Live At The 9:30' (2010, Weathermaker) *'Strange Cousins At The Prince' (2010, liveband.com.au) Compilations *'Clutch' (1994, Self-Released) *'Prime Numbers' (1998, Colombia) *'Slow Hole To China' (2003, River Road) *'Pitchfork & Lost Needles' (2005, Megaforce) *'A Weathermaker's Dozen' (2011, Weathermaker) *'Summer Sound Attack' (2014, Weathermaker) *'La Curandera' (2015, Weathermaker) *'Psychic Rockers From The West Group' (2017, Weathermaker) *'Spacegrass: The Collection' (2019, Warner Music Group) List of Known Tours External Links *Official Website *Facebook *Twitter References Category:Band Category:Wikipedia Category:Germantown Category:Maryland Category:USA Category:Clutch Category:1991 Category:Stoner Rock Category:Hard Rock Category:Blues Rock